Combines are used to harvest agricultural crops by being driven through the crops and sequentially cut the crop, separate the desired crop from the undesired waste, store the crop, and discard the waste. A head is mounted to the front of a combine to gather the crop and feed the crop into the combine for processing. Each type of head is designed to be used with a particular type of crop. One such type of crop is a row crop, such as corn.
Row crop heads include a plurality of dividers. The dividers are converging members that are aligned parallel and adjacent to one another. Each divider proceeds between a pair of rows and each pair of adjacent dividers straddles a row and directs the crop in that row into the gap between adjacent dividers. Extending rearward from the dividers are hoods that are virtual extensions of the dividers. Between adjacent hoods are ear strippers that remove the ears from the stalks and guide the ears into the processing unit of the combine. The combine is driven such that each divider is located between a row of the crop, thereby guiding the crop into the gatherers and facilitating processing of the crop.
Large combines are desirable because they are able to harvest and process more crop at a faster rate. As a result, a farmer's efficiency and total harvest are increased. One way to increase the productivity of a combine is to make the head wider such that it cuts a wider path through the field and a greater volume of crop is taken into the combine. However, as the heads get wider, they also become more and more massive. In addition, the extra weight of the head is further magnified through leverage because the heads are mounted on the front of the combine by a feeder housing that extends in front of the wheel base, thereby creating a large moment arm. As a result of these substantial forces, the assembly that secures the head to the combine must be commensurately stronger and heavier. Overall, increasing the width of the head increases the amount of power that is necessary to move and operate the larger head. Consequently, it is highly desirable to reduce the weight of the head while maintaining the requisite size, strength and effectiveness.
The hoods and dividers on the heads are commonly made of sheet metal and supported by a steel frame. These steel components add significantly to the weight of the head. One way of reducing the weight of the head is through the use of lighter weight plastic hoods and dividers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,309 to Mossman is directed to double-walled, self-supporting plastic crop dividers. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,467 to Baugh describes a row divider with a flexible plastic sheath that is mounted upon, and supported by, a steel sub-frame. There exists a need in the field for a plastic hood and a plastic divider that create a reduced weight head without the use of a double-walled structure, such as described in the Mossman patent, or a separate support system as described in the Baugh patent.